1. The meaning of e-commerce. The economic dimension of e-commerce. Legal issues related to domain names. The role of ‘self-regulation’. Issues relating to International Private Law and applicable law in internet transactions.
2. EU legislative initiatives relating to e-commerce, and, in particular, the e-Commerce Directive and the Electronic Signatures Directive. Harmonized Greek law, namely Presidential Decree 131/03 on e-commerce and Presidential Decree 150/00 on electronic signatures.
3. Protection of the ‘electronic consumer’.
4. Protection from processing of personal data in the context of e-commerce according to EU Law (GDPR).

The purpose of this course is to present the existing legislative framework of e-commerce, as this developed in the EU. In particular, the course focuses on the legislative initiatives of the EU, which aim to strengthen the trust of individuals who engage in transactions, for example, regulations for electronic commercial correspondence, user data protection, digital consumer protection, electronic signatures and so on.

On successful completion of the course students will:

•  Have knowledge of the legal requirements for the creation of an e-shop;
•  Understand the role of the EU in strengthening the digital economy;
•  Identify the positive and negative consequences of the use of the internet for their transactions;
•  Determine which legal system applies on a cross-border electronic transaction;
•  Be aware of the special legal rights of digital consumers; and
•  Recognize the risks related to the abuse of their personal data and comprehend the relevant legislation that protects personal data (GDPR).